The Fight Goes On
by Firestar1
Summary: It's my first fic, so be nice. Talpa's back and at it again. Lot's of fighting and a bit of angst(I think) rated PG for a bit of blood/violence
1. Default Chapter Title

Ronin Warriors: The Fight Goes On

Disclaimer: The Ronin Warriors do not belong to me. Peril is my only original character so far. Please don't sue me, I don't have any money anyways. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Firestar here. This is my first fic, so please go easy on me. Any and all reviews are welcome, including flames. Just try to put something constructive in while your tearing my self-esteem to shreds. Praise will be read eagerly and with tons of enthusiasm. Suggestions on how to finish this story are also welcome, 'cause I don't know where to go from here. Now, on with the story.

Chapter One

It all started a year after the Dynasty was defeated. After the final battle, the Ronin Warriors settled into a normal life, spending a great deal of their free time at Mia Koji's mansion. Although each of the warriors had been offered chances to move away, none had accepted. They, instead, chose to stay together in Toyama. They couldn't stand the thought of being separated. 

"Hey, Ryo, where are ya?" Kento shouted. His ash blue hair had escaped the sweatband he wore and short locks hung in his face. He, Cye, Sage, and Rowen were ready to go. They had spent the entire day by the lake that was on Mia's estate and were anxious to get home.

"Where do you think he went?" questioned Cye. His British accented voice was filled with worry. "It's not like him to just wander off and leave us hanging."

"Yeah, you're right, we should go look for him. Make sure everything's all right." Rowen spoke with a slight frown on his face.

Sage nodded in agreement, a lock of his blond hair falling forward to cover one of his piercing violet eyes. "We should split up and look around. We'll cover more ground that way." He turned around and started walking east. The others followed Sage's lead and Kento went south, Cye west, and Rowen headed north.

Rowen had been walking for over a half-hour and there was no sign of Ryo. He mentally debated whether or not he should turn around and head back to the others when a scream pierced the still forest air.

"Ryo!" Rowen recognized his friend's voice immediately. "Don't worry, man, I'm on my way! Armor of Strata, Dao Inoki!" He powered up to his full armor, not even bothering with his sub-armor.

Rowen sprinted in the direction of Ryo's scream and at the same time contacted the others. _"Guy's, I found Ryo, but I think he's in trouble." _

__

"We're on our way" they all sent back.

Rowen burst into a clearing and saw Ryo lying half-unconscious in the middle of it. Standing over him was a tall, armored warrior who looked terrifyingly like a Dynasty warlord. Before the Ronin of Life could step in, the warrior kicked Ryo in the head with an armored boot.

"Pitiful, Wildfire, you weren't even a challenge." The warrior's harsh voice was filled with contempt. "I suppose there is nothing left to do but finish you off."

"Hold it, creep!" Rowen screamed, running toward his downed friend. Before the evil warrior could readjust to the new situation, Rowen had placed himself between Ryo and his attacker.

As he took up a fighting stance and drew his bow, he was trying frantically to figure out what was going on. _Why did this jerk attack Ryo? And why isn't Ryo armored up? _Behind Rowen, Ryo wasn't moving and his arm was twisted under him cruelly.

"Ah, so another Ronin wants to die." The gravelly sound sent shivers down Rowen's spine.

"Who are you and what the heck do you want?!" Rowen's query was met with terrible laughter.

"I am called Peril, Ronin, and I am the Warlord of Destruction. As to what I want, why, only to make my master happy. You do remember Lord Talpa, don't you? He's very upset with you, you know, and you can guess what that means."

"Talpa's dead! We killed him over a year ago."

"You destroyed his body, true, but you couldn't touch his soul. You never stood a chance at getting rid of him."

"Oh yeah? Well we'll just have to take that into consideration the next time we kill Talpa." Rowen raised his bow, knocked an arrow, and released all in one fluid motion. The arrow hit the Warlord dead center in his chest plate, but didn't penetrate. Instead, it skidded across the surface and fell to the ground.

"Hah, is that the best you can do?" taunted Peril. "Your even more pathetic than Wildfire."

Rowen was about to retort when he heard a low moan behind him. "Ryo, are you all right?"

"I-I think so, Ro." Ryo's response was weak and filled with pain.

"You don't sound like it, my friend. Just stay still and let me take care of this jerk." Rowen's voice was filled with concern. He readied himself to strike again at Peril.

"No, wait Ro!" Ryo started to say, but he was to late.

"Arrow Shock Wave!" Rowen fired his sure-kill. It flew straight at the warlord, but when it reached him, the warlord raised his arms and shouted "Wrath of Destruction!" The sure-kill was absorbed into the warlord's armor and transmuted into a sickly-green fireball that the he flung at Rowen.

Ignoring the pain running like liquid fire through his body and his lack of strength, Ryo surged to his feet and pushed Rowen out of the way of the fireball's path. Rowen fell to the ground with a grunt as the air was knocked out of him and blackness teased at the edge of his vision. 

Cye, Sage, and Kento were all worried about Ryo. They'd been searching for over 45 minutes and when they couldn't find any sign of their friend, each of them headed back to lake to meet up with the others. Sage was the first to make his way back, followed closely by Cye and Kento.

"Hey guys, any sign of Ryo?" Sage asked. The other two shook their heads negatively. Cye spoke up. "Maybe Rowen had better luck."

Rowen's voice rang into their minds. _"Guys, I found Ryo, but I think he's in trouble!"_

The three warriors leapt into action immediately and sent back _"We're on our way!" _They ran furiously in their friend's direction, hoping they weren't too late.

Minutes later they burst into the clearing where Ryo and Rowen were. They were just in time to see Ryo engulfed in an ugly green fireball, unarmored.

He hurt all over. Blood poured from a gash on his temple and ran in streams through his shoulder length black hair. His chest felt like it was on fire and his tiger blue eyes were murky and dazed with pain. His arm was twisted under him, sending waves of pain shooting through his body.

Ryo was vaguely aware that someone was near him but he couldn't fight his way through the haze of pain to figure out who. Then he heard a familiar voice. _Rowen! _His friend was talking to someone and he sounded angry. _What's going on?_

Having Rowen near by prompted Ryo to try to lever himself up off the ground. Streaks of pain lanced through his back and he fell back, trying to hold back a groan.

"Ryo, are you all right?" The worry in Rowen's voice cleared some of the fog out of Ryo's head. "I-I think so, Ro." Ryo tried to reassure his friend, but he swore to himself as his voice shook.

"You don't sound like it, my friend, just stay still and let me take care of this jerk."

"No wait, Ro." But Rowen didn't hear him and Ryo saw him fire his sure-kill. _I can't let him get hurt trying to protect me! _Knowing what was going to happen, Ryo forced himself to his feet and pushed Rowen out of the line of fire. He saw Rowen fall out of the way and looked up just in time to see the green fire coming straight at him. Suddenly, the whole world was on fire and everything went black.

Chapter Two

Rowen lay on the ground, stunned. The image of his leader being swallowed up by the green ball of fire played itself over and over in his mind. There was no way Ryo could have survived that blast without his armor and in the shape he was in. Despairing, Rowen over at the warlord and saw him leaning heavily on his sword. He watched as Peril pulled himself erect and walked slowly towards him.

"Prepare to die, Strata." Peril raised his sword and prepared to plunge it into Rowen's heart.

"No, Rowen!" Sage cried as he saw the sword about to fall. He bounded forward and struck Peril from behind. "Leave my friend alone!" 

Cye and Kento were just seconds behind. Cye went to check on Rowen and Kento backed up Sage. 

"Rowen, are you all right?" Cye asked with concern etched into his face and tainting his clear tenor. Rowen didn't answer and stared into space with tears streaming down his cheeks. "Rowen? C'mon buddy, you've got to get up and help us fight."

The warrior of life looked at Cye with grief filled eyes. "Cye, its all my fault. I should have listened to Ryo when he tried to warn me," Rowen said bitterly. "It's my fault he's dead."

"He's not dead, Ro. You would have felt him die through your link with his armor. Now we've got to beat this guy and get Ryo some help."

"He's really alive?"

"Yeah. You know I wouldn't lie to you, Ro."

Rowen still didn't look convinced.

"Look, Ro, it's not your fault, but we don't have the time it would take to convince you of that right now. We've got to go help out Kento and Sage fight the jerk who hurt Ryo."

Determination filled Rowen's deep blue eyes.

"You got it, my friend." Cye helped Rowen to his feet and then they both ran to join the fight.

"Hey Sage, need some help?" Kento asked cockily.

"Be careful Kento, he's tough. Look what he did to Ryo."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Sage." Kento leaped into the fight with enthusiasm. Cye and Rowen joined them. Together, they seemed to be pushing the warlord back. 

"Let's finish this dude!" Kento shouted. He was about to use his sure-kill when Sage yelled at him. "What do you think you're doing?! Don't you remember what happened when Rowen tried that?" 

Breathing heavily, Cye asked, "So how are we supposed to beat him?" Before Sage could answer, Rowen broke in. "If we combine all our sure-kills together then I think we can take him out. When he absorbed my attack and fired it back at me it seemed to tire him out. I don't think he could withstand all of our powers."

"All right then, let's do it!" cried Sage.

"Thunder Bolt Cut!"

"Iron Rock Crusher!"

"Super Wave Smasher!"

"Arrow Shock Wave!"

The four attacks were too much for the warlord, the power exploded around him. When the light of the explosion faded, he was lying all but lifeless on the ground, his armor dented and cracked.

The four warriors were about to go and make sure he was dead when a bright light surrounded his body and he disappeared. 

"Talpa must have pulled him back to the Dynasty," Sage said, breaking the silence. 

Chapter Three

Ryo lay at the edge of the clearing where the blast had thrown him against a tree. When his friends got a good look at him they gasped in shock. He had burns all over him and a deep wound in his side. Blood obscured the right side of his face and it was covered with bruises. Ryo's right arm was lying at a crooked angle and blood was pouring out of a deep cut in his left leg.

Rowen dropped down next to Ryo and felt for his pulse. "You guys, he's barely got a heartbeat. We've got to get him help, and quickly."

Sage knelt down on the other side of Ryo. "Maybe I can heal him." He placed his hand over Ryo's pale brow, covering the place where the virtue kanji would glow. His hand started to shine with a faint light and the light spread to Ryo. The others were starting to think that it would work, but the light cut off abruptly.

"I can't do it," Sage gasped. "He's just too badly hurt. I haven't the power needed. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Sage." Kento spoke for the first time since seeing Ryo. "Is there anyone we can ask for help?"

Cye frowned thoughtfully. "What about Kaurya and the Warlords? Could they be of any use?"

"Maybe, but first lets get Ryo back to Mia's. We need to do something about his wounds until we can get him help. Then we can contact the Nether Realm." Rowen's words were met with nods and Kento carefully picked Ryo up.

"C'mon guys, lets go.

Back in the Nether Realm, Kaurya and the three warlords were fighting for their lives. 

"It's at times like these that I wish Anubis was still around. He was the best warrior of us all." Sehkmet's words were spoken through clenched teeth as he took out another Dynasty soldier. He, Cale, Dais, and Kauyra had been fighting since dawn, when Dynasty soldiers had invaded the small village they had built after Talpa had been defeated. 

"Stop complaining, Sehkment. We need to think of a way to get away from these soldiers." Cale's deep voice said.

"Guys, I can get us to the Mortal World, but I'm gonna need your power to pull it off."

"Do it, Kauyra, we can't hold them off much longer." Dais parried a sword stroke and crushed another soldier's chest plate. 

Kauyra's face filled with strain as she raised the Ancient's staff above her head. It started clanging loudly and a bright light surrounded the four beleaguered warriors. In the next instant, they were gone.

It had been slow going back to Mia's house. The Ronins hadn't been able to travel very fast for fear of handling Ryo too roughly and making his wounds worse. When they finally made it back, they were all exhausted and Ryo was barely breathing. 

Cye ran ahead and opened the door to the mansion. He held it open for Kento and then went running upstairs. "Mia, are you up here?" 

"Cye? What took you guys so long to get back? I was worried sick that something had happened to you."

"There's no time to explain, you just need to get downstairs. Ryo's been hurt real bad and we need your help."

Mia dropped the cup of coffee she had in her hand and went tearing down the stairs. She reached the living room and saw that Ryo lay lengthwise on the couch. "Is he gonna be okay?"

Sage looked up from Ryo. "I don't know, Mia." A sudden pounding on the door startled the Ronins and they jumped into defensive stances.

"Ronins, let us in. We need your help." The voice sounded familiar.

"Its Kauyra!" Cye shouted and ran to open the door.

When the door opened, Kauyra collapsed in Cye's arms. He carried her inside, followed closely by three exhausted warlords. They were all ushered into the living room where the rest of the Ronins were. There, they sagged into the chairs and onto the floor.

"What are you guys doing here? What happened?" The questions were echoed by all of the guys. 

"Talpa's back, Ronins. He attacked our village and destroyed it. We were lucky to make it out with our lives. It took the last of my strength to transport the four of us from the Mortal Realm. As it is, I will not be able to cast any spells for quite some time." She looked terrible with several cuts and bruises covering her body.

"We know that Talpa's back, Kauyra. We met up with one of his warlords earlier this evening."

"What do you mean you met up with a warlord, Sage?" Dais cut in sharply.

"I mean that he caught Ryo alone and seriously thrashed him and then he went after the rest of us."

Cale looked at Sage in shock. "Wildfire's been hurt?"

"Yeah, and badly. We were going to call you guys and see if Kauyra could heal him since the Halo armor doesn't have enough power. I don't know what we're going to do if Kauyra can't cast any spells. He's getting weaker by the moment."

Sage was about to say more when they heard a weak cough. "Guys, what's goin' on?"

Chapter Four

It had been a day since the Ronins had met up with Peril. Ryo had regained consciousness for a brief time after reaching Mia's house. He haltingly told what happened while he was alone, stopping often to rest.

He'd been walking through the woods, enjoying the peace and quiet, when an icy voice had shouted a challenge. He immediately armored up and started fighting a new warlord who called himself Peril. At first the battle seemed pretty evenly balanced, but Ryo made the mistake of using his sure-kill. The warlord absorbed it and fired it back at him before he had a chance to move out of the way. 

The attack weakened Ryo so badly that he was easy prey for Peril, who took advantage of the situation and started pounding on him. Ryo eventually became so badly injured and drained that he could no longer maintain the power he needed to wear his armor and it disappeared. After that, it had been easy for Peril to defeat him.

After he finished his story he had fallen unconscious again and hadn't been awake since.

_Where am I? What's going on? _Ryo thought. He was surrounded by a soft blackness. It was full of peace and comfort and beckoned him to stay wrapped within it. 

_"Ryo." _A soft voice caught the warrior of Virtue's attention. _"Ryo, you must come to me. You can't stay here." _

The voice was warm and sweet. It called to him. 

"_Ryo, you are needed. Evil threatens your world, your friends. You can't leave them to fight alone. They can't win without you."_

Ryo felt resignation fill him. He couldn't abandon his friends. But he was so tired of fighting, of being alone. 

__

"I know you're tired, Ryo, and lonely, but you must come."

"All right." Ryo's words echoed strangely. "I'll come, but how do I reach you?"

_"Just wish it to be so, Ryo. You must wish it with all your heart._

Ryo tried, concentrating hard. At first nothing happened, but then he pictured his friends. He would do it for them. The blackness started to fade away.

Ryo found himself standing in a grassy clearing. A gentle breeze was blowing and carried a faint melody to his ears. It was very beautiful and drew Ryo onwards, entranced. 

At the edge of the clearing, a mysterious woman sat playing multiple pipes. Her long brown hair stirred playfully in the wind and when the music stilled, her brilliant sapphire eyes looked up to catch Ryo's gaze. Ryo caught his breath in awe. She was beautiful. Her slim body was draped in a gauzy, powder blue gown. She had a creamy complexion that was unflawed and her pink lips curved in a slight smile.

Most astonishing, however, was the aura of power around her. She fairly glowed with it. "So, Ryo of Wildfire, you have come at last."

Ryo was confused. " Who are you? Where am I? Why did you ask me to come here?"

The woman's smile broadened into a full-fledged grin. "I am Tyrran, young warrior, and I am the Guardian. You are in my demesne. As to the reason you are here, you are to be given a choice. A choice upon which rests the fate of your world."

The Ronin Warriors, the Dark Warlords, Kauyra, and Mia all stood around Ryo with their heads bowed.

"I can't believe he's gone." Rowen sobbed.

Chapter Five

It was dark, and cold. Rain was pouring out of an overcast sky. The night was interrupted with sporadic bolts of jagged lightning interspersed with ground shaking rumbles of thunder. The young man blinked up at the angry sky. He was lying in a dirty alley, trying to huddle up against the old, graffiti covered brick buildings for warmth. 

His clothes were little more that rags that hung loosely on his unnaturally thin body. Lank black hair hung in his eyes and hunger gnawed at his starved insides. He couldn't remember how he ended up on the streets or what his life was like before. All he knew was the squalor and bleakness that consumed his life.

Huddled in on himself, he didn't notice the flashes of light that flared at the end of the alley. He did, however, hear the scream that came with them.

Sage wasn't sure how much longer he could hold out. "Ro, any ideas how we can beat this guy?"

Rowen didn't answer as he parried another blow from the warlord. This warlord, the Warlord of Hate, had shown himself shortly after Ryo died over a month ago. 

Cye was standing off a bit to the side, leaning over Kento. "Kento, man, are ya all right?" 

Kento opened his eyes slowly. "Ohh, what hit me?" 

Cye smile with relief. "Geez, Kento, you scared the living daylights out of me. I thought for sure you were dead."

"Me? Dead? Yeah right, and hell's frozen over."

"Ahhhhhhhh!"

Cye and Kento's heads snapped up. "Rowen! Come on, Kento, he needs our help." Cye pulled Kento to his feet and both went running over to where Rowen lay. He was lying at the entrance to an alley, unconscious, with blood trickling from a cut on his cheek. Kento was about to pick him up when he noticed a figure off to his left.

It was a young teenager with raven black hair hanging in his face. His scrawny figure was clothed in rags and he looked terrified. That wasn't what caught Kento's attention, however. 

"Kento, come _on!" _Cye yelled in irritation. He was frantically checking Rowen for serious injury. When Kento didn't respond, he looked up to see his best friend's face gone stark white. "What's wrong?" Kento still didn't answer and Cye followed his gaze.

"What the…" Cye's voice trailed off in shocked disbelief. _It can't be. There's no way he can be standing there. He's dead. _"Ryo," he whispered.

The kid just looked at him. There was no recognition in his eyes. Only fear. 

__

What's going on? Please, oh, please don't let this be happening. Who are those guys? Thoughts raced through the teen's mind, driving him closer and closer to panic. The scream had jolted him out of his misery, giving him something more immediate to worry about. He had forced himself to walk to the beginning of the alley to see what was going on. Now, he wished he hadn't.

Kento and Cye were jolted out of their dazed reveries by Sage's frantic cry for help. "C'mon guys, why are you just standing there? I could use a little assistance with this guy.!"

Both of the Ronins jerked their heads up in surprise and then rushed to battle the Warlord of Hate, pushing the boy with Ryo's face out of their minds. Kento hauled himself to his feet and joined his comrades. When all four stood side by side, they simultaneously called upon their sure kills. 

The boy stood stock-still, frozen in place by the sheer power he sensed coming from the colorful warriors. They seemed familiar to him, but he wasn't sure how. He watched in awe as they blasted away their opponent with their combined attacks. His fear had drained from him amidst the fury of the battle. 

The warriors stood tiredly for a moment after defeating their attacker and then turned as one to face the boy. Their faces were filled with incredulity and shock. 

Chapter Six

The boy didn't like how those guys were staring at him. He looked up and found his gaze trapped by the deep blue eyes of one of the warriors. The intensity of those eyes was unnerving and it was filled with a mingling of shock, hope, … and guilt?

He jerked his head down, breaking the deadlock that had risen between the two. "Wh-Who are you guys? What happened?" The question seemed to catch the warriors off-guard.

The blond haired guy in the green armor seemed to be searching for an answer for the boy when five new warriors appeared.

"Ronins! Thank the Ancient we found you! There's more trouble. Talpa's launched an attack and-" Kauyra cut herself in mid-sentence when she saw that the warriors weren't paying her any attention. She followed their gazes and her mouth dropped open in shock.

"Wildfire! You're alive! But how? We all saw you die!" Kauyra stopped to draw breath and waited expectedly waited for an answer.

The boy just stared at her in bewilderment.

Later that night, the ronin warriors and the dark warlords all sat in Mia's living room. 

"How's he doing?" asked Sage. After the battle, the ronins and the warlords had taken the black-haired youth back to the mansion with them. It was obvious that he didn't have a clue what was going on, but all of them were sure he was Ryo. Their surety ran deeper than just appearances, however striking they might be. Their armors reacted to the boy, telling them that he was definitely the bearer of Wildfire.

Once the boy reached the house, Mia had taken him in hand and found him some decent clothing. When the group had seen his emaciated condition, they had pressed food on him and then placed him in Ryo's old bed when he showed his exhaustion.

It was apparent to everyone that he had been living on the street for quite some time, but what they couldn't figure out was why.

Chapter Seven


	2. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: the usual. The Ronin Warriors don't belong to me. Don't sue, I'm broke.

A/N: I just want to thank my 2 reviewers. It was really encouraging to read your reviews and I promise, no Mary Sues. 

Chapter Seven

After a long, sleepless night filled with unanswered questions, the Ronins and the Warlords sat around the kitchen table, picking at the breakfast Mia had cooked. It was about 10 o'clock in the morning and everyone was waiting impatiently for the bearer of Wildfire to wake up.

"Remember guys, when he comes down, don't bombard him with questions. He seems pretty lost right now and we don't want to scare him any more than we already have." Cye's voice was calm and collected, but it was obvious that he was just as anxious as the rest of the warriors.

"Are we sure he's really Ryo?" questioned Kento. At the strange looks he got from the others he went on, "I mean, he's younger than Ryo was, and he doesn't know who we are. What if the way he looks is just a really weird coincidence?"

"C'mon, Kento, all you gotta do is look at him. It's Ryo. There's no question about it. How can you even think otherwise?!" Rowen's voice had risen with each word and he was practically yelling when the kid in question walked sleepily into the room.

"What's going on?" At the sound of the boy's voice, all heads snapped around in surprise. Rowen tried to say something but couldn't get the words out of his mouth. 

Cale jumped in before his lapse became too obvious. "How are you feeling, Wildfire? Did you sleep well?" The boy gave him a quizzical look and ignored the question. Cale tried again, "Do you need anything? Would you like some breakfast?" Cale was acting quite out of character in his effort to draw a response out of the boy. 

When the boy still didn't respond, the group of concerned warriors shifted uncomfortably in their seats. The boy's behavior was an enigma to them all and they still had so many questions they wanted answers to.

This time Dais tried to open up a conversation. "Wildfire, ar-" 

"Why do you all keep calling me Wildfire?" asked the boy, cutting Dais off quickly.

The question seemed to take Dais aback. "Because you're the bearer of the Wildfire armor and the leader of the Ronin Warriors. Don't you remember?" Dais asked, asking the number one question on everyone's mind.

Upon seeing the boy's expression become even more confused, Kauyra asked quickly, "what's your name boy?"

The boy's face lost its confusion and gained a sadder visage. "I-I don't really know."

"Well then, where are you from?" Kauyra pressed.

Looking close to tears, the boy whispered with a hint of despair in his voice, "I don't know."

Seeing Kauyra was about to launch more questions at the boy, Sage hurriedly stepped towards the boy and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, kid. I've got an idea." Sage's face was full of compassion. "How 'bout we give you a name and you can stay with us for awhile, okay?"

The boy looked up at him, refusing to shed the tears that filled his eyes. "What kinda name?"

"I was thinking we could give you the name of a real close friend of ours. How's Ryo sound to you?"

The boy thought about it for a long moment. "I…I like it. It sounds pretty cool."

"Okay, Ryo, so how about the second part of my question? Would you like to stay with us for awhile?"

Ryo looked around at all the warriors, studying each of them closely. His gaze rested finally on Rowen, who refused to look up and meet his eyes. "I'd like to stay with you all very much."

Chapter Eight
    
    Several days later, the warriors once again sat gathered in Mia's living room while Ryo slept. 

"We still haven't gotten any closer to figuring out what's going on with Wildfire. We all saw him die, so what's a younger version of him doing here and why doesn't he remember us?" Sehkment's voice was filled with frustrated impatience.
    
    "No one has any answers for you, Sehkment. We've all been too busy fighting the Dynasty and then coming up with excuses to feed Ryo for are constant disappearances. I think we're just going to have to give up on the why and how for now and concentrate on getting that boy trained as a Ronin. We need the Wildfire armor now, and with Talpa intensifying his attacks, we're eventually going to need the Inferno as well." Kauyra was the voice of reason, and even though nobody liked it, they all had to admit she had a point.

"Okay Ryo, that was pretty good, but the next time you come at me, I want you to keep up a better guard and be ready for any tricks. A bad guy's never going to play fair." Sage was busy instructing Ryo in the basics of fighting. He wanted to be sure that Ryo knew how to defend himself the next time the Dynasty came calling.

When the warriors had brought up the subject of fighting, Ryo had eagerly leapt at the chance. He had flung himself into the practices, making them all wonder just what he had been forced to live through on the streets. Aside from that concern, Ryo had picked up the fighting as easily as he breathed. None of the warriors doubted for an instant that he would soon be just as good as the former Ryo and he would definitely surpass their own considerable skills.

Ryo was preparing to try out the move Sage had shown him when there was a gust of extremely cold wind and a strangely familiar voice cut into his soul like a dagger. He turned towards the voice, his eyes round with shock. "Hello, Wildfire, it's so nice to see you again. I must admit, however, that it's a bit of a surprise. I thought I killed you several months ago."

"Wh-Who are y-you?" Ryo's stuttered question was asked in a voice shrill with unconcealed fear. 

"Ryo, stand back," Cye commanded. He then stepped forward and challenged Peril. "Either you leave now, or you get your had bashed in."

Cye didn't give the Warlord much time to consider and stepped forward threateningly, lifting his trident in preparation for his attack.

Peril just laughed with mockery filling his cold voice. He was about to enter into another one of his tiresome speeches about how great and invincible Talpa is, but Cye raised his trident, crying out "Super Wave Smasher!" The Warlord had to forego what he wanted to say and as he had done when fighting Ryo the first time, he transmuted Cye's attack and flung it back at the water warrior. 

Cye, however, had been expecting his move and leapt easily out of the way of the blast. "Is that the best you got, Warlord? It didn't seem all that scary to me," Cye taunted.

Before Peril could respond, the rest of the warriors stepped in and prepared to fire their attacks in one massive burst of energy. As they called out their sure-kills, however, Ryo cried out in pain and clutched at his head in agony. His outburst distracted the warriors as they looked at him in panic, thinking there was another threat to deal with.

Peril used the warriors' preoccupation to launch his own sure-kill and it caught them all unawares, hurling the surprised fighters through the air. He then advanced slowly on Ryo, savoring his triumph. 

Ryo still lay knelt on the ground, head pressed into his hands in an effort to block out the horrifying images that raced through his mind.

Chapter Nine
    
    Ryo had been fine until that creepy guy in the weird armor had shown up. He didn't know why, but the guy seemed familiar and Ryo instinctively tried to block out the images that rushed into his head. Finally, he couldn't take it any more and cried out in pain. They were so terrible. /flash/ _A gigantic and forbidding castle floated among dark clouds in an overcast sky. He instinctively knew that the place contained great evil and he was determined to destroy it. By his side walked four other warriors. The were armored in the same style as him but instead of his red they were decked in light blue, orange, green, and dark blue. /flash/ He watched helplessly as his friends were battered by the soldiers. There were too many of the soldiers and he and his friends didn't seem to stand a chance. /flash/ Pain raced through his side as a soldier got in a lucky hit. He fell to his knees in pain. /flash/ A Warlord that he had never seen before appeared suddenly before him. The Warlord personified his worst fear. Talpa wasn't dead. He fought desperately, and the fight seemed to be pretty even when the Warlord turned his sure-kill against him. The pain was unbearable and he screamed in agony. /flash/ The Guardian stood before him, magnificently cloaked in her power. "It's your choice Wildfire, no one will force it upon you. Do you accept?" He looked at her, his resolve firm. "I accept." _Ryo was dimly aware of the Warlord of Chaos standing above him. Suddenly, his will to fight came flooding back to him. _I'll make him pay for hurting my friends! _Pulling himself to his feet, he looked the Warlord in the eye. "Armor of Wildfire, Dao Gin!"


	3. Default Chapter Title

Chapter Nine
    
    Ryo had been fine until that creepy guy in the weird armor had shown up. He didn't know why, but the guy seemed familiar and Ryo instinctively tried to block out the images that rushed into his head. Finally, he couldn't take it any more and cried out in pain. They were so terrible. /flash/ _A gigantic and forbidding castle floated among dark clouds in an overcast sky. He instinctively knew that the place contained great evil and he was determined to destroy it. By his side walked four other warriors. The were armored in the same style as him but instead of his red they were decked in light blue, orange, green, and dark blue. /flash/ He watched helplessly as his friends were battered by the soldiers. There were too many of the soldiers and he and his friends didn't seem to stand a chance. /flash/ Pain raced through his side as a soldier got in a lucky hit. He fell to his knees in pain. /flash/ A Warlord that he had never seen before appeared suddenly before him. The Warlord personified his worst fear. Talpa wasn't dead. He fought desperately, and the fight seemed to be pretty even when the Warlord turned his sure-kill against him. The pain was unbearable and he screamed in agony. /flash/ The Guardian stood before him, magnificently cloaked in her power. "It's your choice Wildfire, no one will force it upon you. Do you accept?" He looked at her, his resolve firm. "I accept." _Ryo was dimly aware of the Warlord of Chaos standing above him. Suddenly, his will to fight came flooding back to him. _I'll make him pay for hurting my friends! _

Pulling himself to his feet, he looked the Warlord in the eye. "Armor of Wildfire, Dao Gin!"


	4. Default Chapter Title

  
  
Disclaimer: Ronin Warriors doesn't belong to me, blah blah blah. You all know the routine.  
  
A/N: Please bear with me. I'm using notepad for the first time, so I don't know how this will   
turn out. Thanks to the people who reviewed, I love hearing what you have to say, so keep it up.  
I'm trying to get the chapters out quickly, 'cause I personally hate to have to wait to find out  
what happens next in a story. This fic still needs a new name and if people send them in, I'll   
pick the best one. Oh, and someone asked how old the Ryo is in this, so I mentioned it in the   
fic. The rest of the Ronins are somewhere between 18 and 23.  
  
* As long as I'm using notepad, talking will be in "quotes", flashbacks will be in /backslashes/,   
and thinking will be in whatever these are called. Now, on to the fic!  
  
Chapter 10  
  
  
She watched intently as Wildfire fought desperately against the Warlord of Chaos. It wasn't her  
place to interfere, but she desperately wished to help. The boy had struck a chord within her and   
for the first time in a millenia, she had feelings for another person.  
  
"C'mon Ryo, you can do it. Trust in your armor."  
  
  
Sweat trickled down between Ryo's shoulder blades and dripped into his eyes. His breath came   
sharply as he waited for the Warlord to make the next move. His eyes narrowed as he noticed   
Peril favoring his right side. Ryo had struck him a glancing blow earlier and it appeared that   
it was taking its toll.  
  
Peril was feeling the first twinges of worry. How can he be so strong?  
  
Ryo raised his twin katanas. On the surface, he seemed to be every inch the calm, collected   
warrior.   
  
Rowen and the other warriors watched helplessly from their prone positions. All of them were too  
badly hurt to get up and fight. Everything rested on Ryo now.  
  
Getting impatient with Peril's inaction, Ryo sprang forward, slashing with his katanas. Peril   
was taken by suprise and barely managed to get out of the way. Ryo followed up on his advantage,  
slashing again and again, wearing Peril down.  
  
Fighting with an incredible intensity, Ryo stabbed and slashed, parried, and slashed again. He   
did this over and over again, establishing a rythym. Finally, he saw the opening he was looking   
for and quickly cut through Peril's guard, landing a blow to the chest.  
  
The sword cut deeply into Peril's armor and he fell back in pain. Instinctively, Ryo took   
advantage of the lull and leapt high into the air. "Flare up now!"  
  
Peril didn't have the time to convert the energy and it washed over him in a deadly wave of   
flame.  
  
Chapter 11  
  
  
  
Rowen raised a trembling hand, trying to block out the intense light of Ryo's surekill to see   
what had happened. When the light finally faded away, he gasped in awe. There was a huge burnt   
swath of land and in the middle lay the mangled body of the Warlord of Chaos. From the position  
of the Warlord's body, there could be no doubt that he was dead.  
  
Rowen then glance quickly over in Ryo's direction. The boy seemed to be in a daze. "Ryo?"  
Rowen's questioning tone didn't get a response and he tried again louder. "Ryo, are you alright?"  
  
Ryo started a bit and then looked over at Rowen with glazed eyes. "R-Rowen," he managed to get   
out before collapsing on the ground.  
  
  
Later that evening, all of the warriors had recieved at least a little healing from either Kauyra  
or Sage. Ryo had woken up a few hours after they took him home. He had been scared and confused  
by the power he had unleashed against the Warlord.   
  
"Ryo, are you sure you don't remember anything else?" Cye's patient voice gently tried to get Ryo  
to recall anything that might help them puzzle out what was going on.  
  
"No, I already told you, my head just started to hurt really bad and then there were a whole bunch   
of images, but I can't remember what they were." Ryo's voice held a note of complaint. They'd  
been over the whole thing several times already and the now 14 year old Ryo was getting very sick  
of it.  
  
"Then how did you know how to use your surekill?" asked Kale.  
  
"I DON"T KNOW!" Ryo's infamous temper finally snapped. "Would you just shut the hell up about   
it!" He stood up quickly and looked ready to lash out at the next person to make a sound.  
  
There was a long moment of silence when finally Kento dared to try and say something. "Look, Ryo,   
we're just trying to help."  
  
"I don't frickin care!" Kento's attempt at placation didn't work to well and Ryo stormed out of   
the room.  
  
The rest of the Ronins and the Warlords just sat a moment and then Sehkment asked plaintively,   
"Now what do we do?"  
  
  
"Those insolent fools!" Talpa was raging from inside his throne room and the whole Dynasty could  
hear his fury. "I will not let them defeat me as they did last time!"  
  
Then he seemed to calm a bit. "No matter, I know what the Guardian did. It is not the first time  
a warrior has been brought back from the dead. Such tricks will not stop me. Soon, Wildfire will   
run out of time and their effort will be in vain."  
  
  
  
Chapter 12  
  
  
Rowen crept silently down the hall towards Ryo's room. It was very late and he just wanted to   
make sure Ryo was okay. Man, I hope he isn't too upset.  
  
Once he reached the door to the room, Rowen hesitated. It was hard for him to force himself to   
go forward, just as it was hard for Rowen to even be in the same room with Ryo. He couldn't   
shake the certainty that it was his fault everything had happened to Ryo and he just knew that  
if Ryo ever got his memory back that he would blame the blue-haired teen.  
  
Shaking off his dark thoughts, Rowen determinedly opened the door just enough for him to slip in.  
Inside, Ryo lay in his bed, still dressed, but asleep. It wasn't a peaceful sleep however. Ryo  
was tossing and turning and moaning something about a guardian.  
  
Rowen was about to reach out to wake Ryo up, but suddnely Ryo cried out and his kanji burned on  
his forehead. The symbol of Virtue glowed a brilliant red and then light enveloped the sleeping   
boy. Then just as suddenly as it had come, the light vanished and in the bed lay a boy of about  
16.  



	5. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: As usual, the Ronin Warriors don't belong to me. Happy now?  
  
A/N: I know I confused some people with the ending to part 4, but trust me, it'll make sense   
eventually, ya just gotta keep reading. I'm still working out the details of the story,  
but it is heading in a specific direction.   
  
*Like before, talking is in "Quotes", flashbacks will be in /backslashes/, and thinking will be   
in these things.  
  
  
  
Chapter 13  
  
"Guys?! GUYS!" Rowen yelled in bewilderment. He didn't know what had just happened to Ryo,   
but it really freaked him out.  
  
The Ronins and the Warlords came charging out of their rooms in response to Rowens cry. When   
they reached Rowen they stopped short. Ryo was sitting up in bed, sleepily complaining about   
the noise. tTe first thing they noticed was that his voice was considerably deeper. It had   
reached almost the same depth as the old Ryo's voice. The next thing was that he looked much   
older.  
  
"Ryo, what happened?" Dais's query obviously confused Ryo.  
  
"Whaddya mean?" Ryo asked in a puzzled voice.  
  
"You-your older."  
  
"Huh? Dais did you hit your head or something?" Ryo asked with concern.  
  
"No Ryo, he's telling the truth," said Sage. "Go look in the mirror."  
  
Looking at Sage doubtfully, Ryo started to get out of bed, but then gasped in pain. Somehow,   
his leg had recieved a deep, bloody gash. (A/N remember Ryo's wounds the first time around?)  
  
Ryo stared down at his leg in astonishment. "How did that happen?"  
  
The rest of the warriors exchanged a worried look. Ryo had been wounded in the same place in  
his first deadly fight against Peril.  
  
Cye walked over to Ryo and gently helped him to his feet. "C'mon, lets get that taken care of  
before you bleed all over the carpet."  
  
Ryo leaned heavily on Cye's shoulder and as he was led towards the bathroom and its first aid   
kit, Cye exchanged a knowing look with Kauyra and Sage. He'd make sure that it took a while to   
clean up Ryo's leg, giving the rest of them the time to talk things over.  
  
  
  
Ryo was thinking hard, not paying attention to Cye's careful ministrations. What the hell is   
going on? I just went upstairs to cool down and the next thing I know, Rowen is screaming his  
head off and I'm bleeding all over the place. Shouldn't I remember how something like that   
happened? And why do the guys all seem to cut off their conversations when I'm around? They're  
keeping something from me. The look Cye gave Kauyra when he thought I wasn't paying attention  
made that pretty clear.  
  
"Ryo?" Cye's soft voice snapped Ryo out of his thoughts.   
  
"What?"  
  
"Do you know anything about a guardian?"  
  
Ryo's head snapped up. "I-I, uh, no. Nothing."  
  
Cye just gave him a funny look and let the subject drop. He and Ryo spent the rest of the time  
in silence.  
  
/"You are very brave, Wildfire, to go back. Many do not make the same decision."  
  
Ryo let her words wash over him and her honey-toned voice soothed away much of his sadness. Her  
long hair was tugged about in the wind and it made her look even more beautiful.  
  
"When you return to the mortal world, you will not remember who you are. The Spirits will allow  
this meddling, but they always demand a balance, and a price. You will not have much time to   
complete your mission and help your friends."  
  
He knew all this was important, but he just couldn't concentrate. Her soft, pink lips entranced   
him. Boldly, before he could lose his nerve, he stepped forward and took her in his arms. She  
appeared startled, but he didn't allow her the time to pull away and he planted a passionate, yet  
gentle kiss on her inviting lips.  
  
She started to protest, but then stopped and leaned into him, losing herself in the moment. The  
kiss burned its way inside her, branding itself on her soul.  
  
Finally, the kiss ended and the two separated slightly. "Wildfire-"  
  
"Shh, please call me Ryo."  
  
"Ryo, this can't work. We both have destinies to fulfill and they lead us down very different  
paths."  
  
"I know, Guardian, that it seems impossible, but why can't we try?"  
  
"I-", she didn't have it in her to refuse. "All right, Ryo, we will try, but we can make no   
promises."  
  
"I understand," said Ryo, but he didn't sound at all deterred.   
  
"And another matter, Ryo."  
  
Curiousity was plain on Ryo's face.  
  
"Please call me Tyrran."/  
  
Ryo savored the memory. It, and many others had returned to him that night, but he wasn't ready   
to share them with the others. It was too private...and wonderful.  
  
  
Chapter 14  
  
  
Tyrran gazed at Ryo with an aching heart. What was I thinking? I can't get involved with a   
mortal. But...I felt something when I was with him. We were only together for a brief time,   
and I let myself feel more for him than I've felt for thousands of years. And how could he, a  
mere infant compared to me, and so pure, have felt the same?  
  
A tear made its way unnoticed down the Guardian's face. Her duties, and his, would keep her  
and Ryo apart, for now.  
  
  
Ryo had made his decision. It had been two days since the really weird events that had happened  
in the middle of the night. He had been remembering more and more. Waking and sleeping, the   
visions assaulted him. Most were of battle and pain, but a few contained good times. Ryo was  
aware that gaps still remained in his memories, but the reason for his return from death was  
quite clear to him now. There were only two things to do: tell the guys, and then get the show  
on the road, before it was too late.  
  
Don't worry, Tyrran, it won't be much longer.  
  
  
The guys, and Mia, were seated around the kitchen table eating breakfast. Ryo's place was empty,  
however, and the vacant space cast a pall on the morning.  
  
Footsteps sounded in the hallway, and everyone looked up as Ryo entered the kitchen. "Guys, I've  
got something to tell you."  
  
  
"So, you were sent back just to help us?"  
  
"Yeah, Sage, who ever's in charge up there bent the rules a little, but I guess they thought you  
guys needed help."  
  
"So what happens when this is all over? Assuming we manage to beat Talpa, what happens to you?"  
Rowen spoke for the first time, and his voice was filled with both bitterness.  
  
Ryo looked down, unable to meet Rowen's eyes. "The reason I was sent back so young was because   
of the wounds I had recieved. The Guardian was forbidden to heal them and said they were part   
of the price for allowing me to help you."  
  
Ryo hesitatated for a moment. "The spell keeping me young won't last much longer and when I   
return to my full age, the wounds will return as well."  
  
All of Ryo's friends looked stunned. Then Rowen slammed his fist down onto the table, letting   
some of his anger show.  
  
"Rowen, I-"  
  
Rowen ignored Ryo and ran upstairs.  
  
After a long moment of silence Ryo asked, "what's up with him?"  
  
Sage looked at Ryo and then said, "he feels guilty. He thinks it's his fault that you died the  
first time around and now he thinks it's his fault that you'll die again."  
  
"Oh." Ryo seemed to think a moment and then he excused himself from the others, heading up the   
stairs as well.  
  
  
Ryo paused outside Rowen's closed door. "Rowen, can I come in?"  
  
Rowen didn't answer and Ryo decided to take that as a yes. Inside, Rowen was sitting on his bed,  
looking out the window at the stars.  
  
Ryo sat down beside Rowen and they both sat in silence. Finally, Rowen spoke. "It's my fault.  
If I had fought better or thought quicker, you wouldn't have gotten killed. You wouldn't be in  
this situation right now."  
  
Ryo laid a comforting hand on Rowen's shoulder. "None of this is your fault, Ro. If you want to  
blame someone, blame me for wandering off alone. Or blame Peril for attacking me. And don't  
you think Talpa deserves a little of the credit? He is the one who started all this."  
  
Rowen drew in a shuddering breath, "don't you think I know all that? But still, if I had just   
been quicker, then none of this would have happened."  
  
Ryo looked at Rowen sadly. "There's nothing I can do to change your mind. It's no use arguing   
with someone's feelings. But I want you to know that I don't blame you, and neither do the guys."  
  
Rowen stole a glance at Ryo, and Ryo could see the tears running down his cheeks. "Thanks Ryo,  
for trying."  
  
"No problem. Now are you ready to fight Talpa? We don't have much time, ya know."  
  
Ryo reached out his hand to Rowen and Rowen clasped it firmly. He spoke in a voice just above a  
whisper, but it was full of determination. "We'll win this one together."  
  
  



	6. Default Chapter Title

The Fight Goes On pt6  
-The End-  
  
Disclaimer: The Ronin Warriors are not mine, but this fic is.  
  
A/N: Okay, some of you guys are going to hate me for what I'm about to do. Just remember Ryo  
is my favorite character, too. So please read and review.  
  
  
"Okay guys, here's the game plan." Ryo had gathered all the Ronins and Warlords together and   
they were preparing for the coming battle. "We're gonna have to take the fight to the   
Dynasty, 'cause there isn't much time left. Kauyra will use the staff to open up a portal to the  
Nether Realm. She'll get us as close to Talpa's stronghold as she can, and then we'll have to  
improvise from then on. Hopefully, though, we'll managage to sneak in undetected and catch Talpa  
off guard."  
  
The warriors listened intently. They knew there wouldn't be any second chances this time.  
  
  
A day later, the Ronins gazed in stunned suprise at the world around them. The Dynasty was a dark and dismal   
realm, much different from Kauyra and the other Warlords' descriptions.  
  
Cye turned in puzzlement to Cael. "I thought you guys said the Dyansty had gotten better and was  
full of life."  
  
Cael looked at Cye with a hint of sadness in his eyes. "It was, before Talpa returned."  
  
Dais spoke softly then, but a deep anger lay in his voice. "Yet one more crime Talpa must pay for."  
  
  
  
The Guardian stood silently, gazing at Ryo with an unreadable expression. She sensed the power  
that kept Ryo alive growing weaker. Tyrran barely held herself back from betraying her duties  
and going to Ryo to warn him that Talpa knew he and his friends had entered the Dynasty.   
"Be careful Ryo," she whispered, knowing he wouldn't hear.  
  
  
  
  
The warriors had gained considerable ground and now were within an hour's distance of Talpa's   
stronghold. Ryo walked along side his friends, trying to keep up a very shaky facade. He had  
been feeling steadily worse for hours, but it wouldn't do the others any good to know it.  
  
Busy as he was making sure the others didn't realize anything was wrong, he didn't hear the   
faint noises of an army approaching.  
  
"Guys, we've got company," said Sage calmly. He quickly unsheathed his sword and settled into   
a fighting stance. Cye, Kento, Rowen, Kauyra, and the Warlords quickly did the same, but Ryo  
didn't seem to notice.  
  
"Ryo. Hey Ryo! Are you gonna fight or what?" Kento asked. Ryo's head quickly snapped around.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"There's an army on the way. We're gonna have to fight," Kento repeated impatiently.  
  
"Ryo, are you okay?", asked Cye.  
  
"I'm fine Cye, don't worry about it." Ryo said with obviously false cheer.  
  
"Yeah, well, just in case, we're gonna stick close, okay?"  
  
"Sure, whatever you want." His quick agreement convinced his friends more surely than anything  
else could that something was very wrong. Then the soldiers arrived and there wasn't any more  
time to worry about it.  
  
  
Rowen's breath came hard and sweat ran down his face, stinging his eyes. He had been unable to  
fire any arrows for some time and had been reduced to merely fighting hand to hand. As he used   
his bow to block the soldiers' blows, he managed to keep an eye on Ryo. As he ducked  
under a soldier's spear, he saw Ryo double over and fall to his knees.  
  
"Ryo! Hang on, I'm coming." Rowen stuggled to break free from his attackers and fought his way  
to Ryo's side. He managed to get there just in time to defend Ryo from a blow to the head.   
Reaching down, he grabbed Ryo's arm. "Ryo, you've got to get up."  
  
Ryo shakily climbed to his feet while Rowen guarded him from the soldiers surrounding them.  
  
  
Tyrran bit her lip, torn between conflicting emotions. Ryo needed her help, and yet to help him  
was forbidden. Then she saw Ryo take another hit, despite Rowen's best efforts. "NO! Ryo,   
please be all right." Tears streamed down her face, and there was no  
longer any choice. Ryo needed her her help.  
  
  
Ryo struggled to stay on his feet, but he hurt all over and he was growing weaker. It took all  
his strength just to stand with Rowen's help. Then a bright light flared in the middle of a group of  
soldiers and they flew backwards. The force of the light flattened Rowen and Ryo as well, and as  
they blinked crazily to clear their eyes, a dark figure strode out of the brilliance.  
  
The figure quickly took form and a lithesome figure with long, flowing hair was seen walking   
serenely towards the warriors. Ryo stared up at her with a mix of suprise, and growing joy.  
  
Rowen gaped at the beautiful women that stood above him and Ryo. She looked down on him kindly   
and then turned to Ryo.  
  
"I have missed you, Ryo. It is a pity we always meet under such dire circumstances."  
  
"Tyrran, why are you here? You know it is forbidden." Concern was evident in Ryo's voice.  
  
"I am here because you need my help. I will face the consequences of my actions later."  
  
Ryo looked as if he wished to argue with her, but he knew he couldn't win this fight on his own.  
"How will you help?"  
  
"I will take you to Talpa. You do not have enough time to get there on your own. Once there,   
however, you will truly be on your own."  
  
Rowen gazed upon all this with bewilderment. "Ryo, what's going on? Who is she?"  
  
Even though Rowen had been addressing Ryo, Tyrran answered. "I am the Guardian, Strata, and I am   
here to help. That is all you need to know."  
  
"But-"  
  
"There isn't time to explain, Rowen, you'll just have to trust her, and me." Ryo's tone of voice  
discouraged argument and for once Rowen decided that he should just do as his leader said.  
  
"All right, but wherever she's taking you, I'm going, too."  
  
  
A few minutes later, the other warriors had worked their way over to Ryo and Rowen. Most of the   
soldiers had been dealt with and the warriors took advantage of the lull to bring themselves up to  
speed.  
  
They stood off to one side, glancing at Tyrran warily. Ryo noticed their distrust, but ignored   
it for the moment in favor of more important issues.  
  
"Guys, we're running out of time. Tyrran here has offered to take us straight to Talpa. It's   
the only option we have." Ryo didn't waste any time getting to the point.  
  
"Ryo, I know we're in a hurry, but we don't even know who she is and-" Sage was cut off,   
suprisingly, by Rowen.  
  
"There isn't time to argue about this. Even if you can't trust this lady, you can trust Ryo and  
his judgement. Isn't that enough?"  
  
Sage was silent for a moment, but then he looked Ryo directly in the eye. "It's enough."  
  
The other warriors nodded in agreement. No one seemed to think that any further words were needed  
and Tyrran raised her arms and they were surrounded by light.  
  
  
Talpa raged inside his castle. "She cannot be allowed to interfere! She'll ruin everything!"  
  
Then his throneroom filled with light.  
  
  
Ryo stood stock still for a moment, trying to clear his eyes and regain his bearings. As the   
world slowly came into focus, he found himself in a dark, depressing room filled with an oppressing  
miasma of evil.  
  
In the middle of the room was a huge throne and sitting upon, or rather in, it was a hunched over  
husk of a person. It was pitiful in its visage, and obviously crippled. "Talpa?!"  
  
"Yes, Ryo, it is Talpa. He was badly injured the last time you fought and he never recovered."  
Tyrran spoke with the knowledge of the duties she had forsaken. "He is not, however, helpless."  
  
"Indeed, Guardian, I am not, and now that you have abandoned your duties, you have also lost your  
immortality." Talpa raised a shaking hand and pointed at Tyrran, unleashing a fiery bolt of   
energy before she could react. It caught her dead center in the chest, throwing her across the   
room.  
  
"Tyrran!" Ryo had to fight with himself to stop from going to her. He knew that he couldn't help  
her now, and if he tried, Talpa would most likely take out his friends as well.  
  
"Guys, I need to form the Inferno." His voice was icy calm, filled with pent up rage.  
  
"You got it, Ryo!" The other four Ronins concentrated their energy and sent it coursing into   
their leader. The warlords and Kauyra took up guarding positions around the Ronins, watchful for  
anything Talpa might throw at them.  
  
The white armor formed around Ryo, surrounding him with flames. Once it fully encased him, his  
eyes opened and he drew his katanas.   
  
As Ryo called on the Inferno, Talpa called on his own powers. He surrounded himself with dark   
energy and used it revitalize his decayed body. It straightened his crippled limbs and   
strengthened his muscles.  
  
Both finished calling on their powers at the same time. They stood just a few feet from each   
other, determined that this would be the final battle.  
  
The others stood back, knowing that there was nothing they could do and unwilling to take the   
chance of distracting Ryo at the wrong moment.  
  
At a signal only the two seemed to hear, Talpa and Ryo advanced on each other. Ryo held his   
swords in a guard postion while Talpa drew his own and then viciously attacked. Ryo blocked   
Talpa's initial blow and followed it with one of his own. They continued this way, locked in   
battle, for hours, neither gaining the advantage.  
  
But then Ryo seemed to be tiring and he gasped for breath. Talpa laughed with malicious pleasure.  
"Not feeling well, Wildfire?" He penetrated Ryo's guard and punched him in the stomach, doubling  
Ryo over.  
  
Ryo desperately pulled away and straightened painfully. He knew he was running out of time.  
"Warlords, I need your power." The warrior of virtue called on a dangerous tactic. The added  
power could be to much for Ryo's body to withstand.  
  
"Wildfire, you can't!", shouted Dais.  
  
"I need it NOW!"   
  
Fearing the consequences, but seeing no alternative, the Warlords focused their power and sent it  
streaming into Ryo.  
  
Screaming from the pain it caused him, Ryo called on his sure-kill. "Rage of INFERNO!"  
  
Talpa tried to block the flames, but they penetrated his defenses. "NOOOOOO!"  
  
Finally, the fire faded and Ryo fell to the ground. Talpa lay on his face, barely alive.  
  
Slowly, Ryo dragged himself up once more and stumbled over to where Talpa lay. Standing over the   
body of the evil that had plaugued him for so long, Ryo raised his sword. "This is for Tyrran,  
Talpa, and all the other people you've hurt." Ryo was beyond mercy or compassion. He felt only  
a need to finish this struggle once and for all, before it was too late.   
  
The sword came down swiftly, flashing in the gloom. Talpa was no more.  
  
Ryo banished the armor wearily and walked over to where Tyrran lay. He knelt down by her side  
and gathered her in his arms. Tears slid down his cheeks and dripped onto her pale face. He  
felt desperately for a pulse, but her heart was still. "No, Tyrran, you can't die. Please, don't  
die," Ryo sobbed brokenly. "Don't leave me alone."  
  
Rowen was the first to approach his heartbroken friend. "Ryo...I'm sorry." Words seemed so  
inadequate and meaningless, but he had to say something to comfort his friend.  
  
His effort went unnoticed, however, and Ryo continued to cry, hugging his love's lifeless body to  
his chest. Then a white light surrounded him, just like the night he aged from 14 to 16.  
  
When it dissipated, Ryo lay slumped over Tyrran, bleeding from wounds all over his body, the same  
wounds he had died from.   
  
"RYO!" The warriors rushed over to him and Rowen reached out, trying uselessly to stem the   
flow of blood. Sage pulled Ryo back from Tyrran, laying him on his back.   
  
Now all his friends eyes knelt down around him. "Ryo, don't give up on us," begged Cye. Ryo  
just smiled weakly up at them all. "Everything will be okay, guys. Don't worry." Then Ryo's   
breath caught in his chest and it failed to rise. His eyes stared blankly up at the friends  
he had left behind.  
  
  
EPILOUGE  
  
  
Rowen lay in his bed, his eyes swollen from crying. It had been a week since he had again buried  
Ryo and he refused to eat, or even come out of his room.  
  
Why did you have to die, Ryo.... Why did all this have to happen.... It's all my fault..I know  
it is! Rowen's thoughts weren't very coherent, but were filled with guilt.  
  
Then his eyes caught sight of a razor lying on his nightstand. He used it for shaving. Slowly,  
he reached out and grasped it in his hand. Bending the plastic surrounding the metal, he prized   
out the tiny, but sharp blades.  
  
Laying the ruined razor back on the nightstand, he held one of the blades up to the light and then  
looked down at his arm. The blue veins were clearly visible under his pale skin.  
  
Carefully, he placed the edge of the blade against his arm and pierced his skin, tracing the vein.  
Blood welled up from his slit wrists and he dropped the blade as the pain set in.  
  
Rowen fell from the bed onto his knees, and then sprawled onto the floor as the world faded around  
him.  
  
Ages later, a dim light appeared in the distance and somehow Rowen moved towards it. The brightness  
enveloped him and inside it he felt a sense of peace and comfort. Then, a familiar presence  
made itself known and Rowen's eyes widened in suprise.  
  
"Ryo? Ryo, I've missed you so much, my friend." Rowen started to cry again and warm arms reached  
out and held him as he sobbed.  
  
"Shh. There's no reason to cry, Rowen. Everything's all right." Ryo's voice was full of   
compassion and understanding.  
  
Wiping his eyes on the back of his hand, Rowen drew away from Ryo and searched for something to  
say, but Ryo beat him to it.  
  
"Rowen, you're being given a choice. Life or Death. That's why I'm here. It's not your time to   
die yet.   
  
"Ryo, I can't take it any more. It's my fault you died the first time and my fault you had to die  
again. How can I live with that?"  
  
Ryo forced Rowen to look him in the eye. "I told you before that none of what happened is your   
fault. Are you calling me a liar?"  
  
Rowen looked away. "No, but-"  
  
"But what? You fought your hardest. No one could ask any more of you. The sole person to blame  
is Talpa. Are you gonna let him get off the hook that easily? If you do, you'll be letting him  
win."  
  
Rowen still couldn't look Ryo in the eye. "Think of it this way, then. Since I'm the one who  
died, I get to place the blame. And I don't blame you."  
  
Finally, Rowen looked up. "You don't blame me?"  
  
Ryo smiled. "I'm finally getting through to you. Of course I don't blame you."  
  
After a long moment, Rowen hesitantly returned the smile.  
  
"Now, back to that choice I was telling you about. It's pretty simple. You can live a long, full,  
and happy life, or you can die right now and when you get to the afterlife you can sit and look  
back at all the oppurtunities you missed."  
  
"When you put it that way, it isn't much of a choice at all." Rowen sighed. "But what about you?"  
  
"I've lived my life and I'm happy with that. Besides, I'm with Tyrran now."  
  
Rowen still looked reluctant to make his choice.   
  
"Go on Rowen, find your own happiness. For me." Rowen couldn't ignore Ryo's plea.   
  
"For you, Ryo, I choose life."   
  
Once the words were uttered, the light started to fade. As Rowen fell into the darkness, he  
caught one last glimpse of Ryo, who stood arm in arm with the woman he loved.  
  
  
Rowen awoke to find himself on the floor. Slowly, he levered himself up to a sitting postion and  
stared in awe at his arms. The smooth skin was unmarked.  
  
His gaze wandered to the open window, where sunlight flooded the world with life and shone down  
upon two smooth white stones.  
  
"Goodbye, my friend."  
  
  
A/N Okay, I know some of you guys are going to kill me now, 'cause I killed Ryo, but this is   
just where the story ended up. It kinda took on a life of its own. At least Ryo died happy.   
And for all the people who want to hurt me for what I just did, I promise that Ryo will live in  
the other fic I'm writing. I'm just going to hurt him a bit is all.  
  
Any ways, thanks for reading this whole thing and tell me what you think. 


End file.
